Add magic to photos

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Computer Arts August 2008

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Technique

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Photoshop CS3

Creative retouching It doesn’t matter how powerful Photoshop is – great results still depend on the skills of the user.

Per Gustafson shares his expert advice for making mediocre photos magical In this tutorial I will show you how to create a striking and highly atmospheric image from a rather ordinary photograph.

I’ll use the standard filters and tools in Photoshop, with no add-ons or plug-ins. As long as you’re happy to play around and explore the boundaries in Photoshop, you can make a photo look however you want it to look.

If you follow the steps in this tutorial and work from the starting file on this issue’s disc, you’ll begin to look at photographs in a new light. Some people believe that retouching to this degree is essentially cheating. But the techniques I’ll demonstrate here will enable you to get the best results possible from any image. And in Photoshop there are no rules to break – just different ways to accomplish your goals.

Per Gustafson Hailing from Sweden, Per is a graphic designer, digital artist, animator and photographer. Under the name of Modernstyle he has worked for clients all over the globe, including adidas, Universal and

Ericsson. He currently resides in London. Per also founded the Swedish internet media company geidemark gustafson. See www. pergustafson.com and www. modernstyle.se.

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Every image needs some level of retouching, and this one is no exception. Create a new layer and do some painting with a brush of 20-40% opacity. Then add a small amount of blur, and play a little with the opacity of the layer. The Smudge tool is useful for retouching, but works much better on photographs of people.

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Usually at this point I duplicate the original layer so I can try out some layer effects on the whole image. You can also resize the image before going any further, though I tend to work on an image at the highest possible resolution and export a smaller version at the end (for uploading to Flickr, for example).

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The image dictates which layer effects are best for retouching, though Levels and Brightness/Contrast are often useful. Experimentation is key.

One tip is to make adjustments on different layers to achieve violent contrasts. I want the sky to really glow, so use five layers here.

On the disc The file you need to complete this tutorial can be found in Disc Contents\ Resources\retouch.

Time needed 2 hours Skills Manipulating layers Using lighting effects Getting the best out of filters

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The original photograph was taken in daylight and lots of people are pictured. We want to create some sort of new world with a magical atmosphere, so let’s paint them out. As well as using a brush, you’ll probably need the Eraser plus some blur effects on the hard edges.

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You need to avoid making the whole bottom section of the image a solid black. With all the layers visible, select the lower section of the image with a marquee, and choose Edit>CopyMerged then Edit>Paste.

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The bottom section is now in a separate layer. Make it a bit darker using Brightness/Contrast, then apply Gaussian Blur to ensure that the top half of the image stands out in comparison.

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Use the Eraser tool to smear out the edges and make this section blend in better with the rest of the picture. Change the opacity of the layer to 70% so that some of the sharp image below shows through.

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Experiment with brushes, the Eraser and transformations until the bottom section of the image is seamlessly merged with the top half containing the Eiffel Tower and the sky. Remember that not all of the picture has to be perfectly sharp – it’s okay to blow things up until it’s a little blurred.

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As this photo was taken on a grey day in Paris, you should add the Sun as a light source. Create a circle on a new layer and fill it with white. Then use Gaussian Blur and choose the Overlay layer effect, and place the Sun at the horizon as if it’s setting.

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Now for the sky. Create a layer with 100% opacity and the layer effect Color. With a big brush paint the blue colour in the outer areas, then green, yellow and finally red in the centre. For a really bright light end with white, like in the centre of a fire or an explosion.

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Technique

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To make the transition between the colours smoother, add Radial Blur with a high Zoom. Do more painting and repeat Radial Blur if necessary. A good tip is to duplicate the layer, add more Radial Blur then Merge the two layers.

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To make the colours less extreme you can adjust the Contrast. I prefer to create another layer with opacity of 20-30%, use a layer effect such as Overlay, add a colour and then play with Hue (Image>Adjustments>Hue/Saturation).

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Duplicate the layer and move this new line to another position. Make the line a bit smaller to get it more into perspective, and to add depth to the image. Tweak opacity and add blur if the line is too sharp compared with the sky.

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To add more life to the photograph create a line of light in the sky. Draw it vertically with the Pen tool, add Motion Blur then bend it slightly with Filter>Distort> Shear. Right-click the layer twice to choose the Perspective tool, then move and twist the line until you’re satisfied.

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Next, make it look as if light is glowing through the clouds. Create a new layer and paint some light with a brush at 100% opacity. Vary the size of the brush, otherwise the effect will look artificial. How much light you add is entirely up to you.

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A useful tip to really make these light sources glow is to duplicate your new layer, use the Free Transform tool to make the duplicate smaller, Merge the two layers and repeat the process a few times. Also experiment more with the Blur options.

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Technique

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Add some more diffuse lights to suggest that light is coming from above and shining through the clouds. Select areas with the Polygonal Lasso tool and use a brush at 40% opacity to avoid a constant fill.

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Add Motion Blur to this layer, and use the Free Transform tool to position the layer correctly. A layer effect such as Overlay or Color Dodge can add to the effect, and the layer can be duplicated as required.

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Invert this new layer and add the layer effect Hue, applying the inverted colours to the image. By experimenting with the opacity or Hue/ Saturation you can easily change the image to any colours you want.

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Copy the light layers, Merge them, then use the Free Transform tool to shrink all the lighting effects.

Sharpen, then experiment with the Free Transform tool or the Distort tool to shape them into new light elements.

Add sharp lights close to the horizon to increase the sense of depth.

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Finally, select the whole image and choose Edit> CopyMerged. Then create a new layer at the top of the layer stack and Paste.

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When you’re satisfied with your retouching, close the image down. You’ve now transformed an ordinary photo into something magical. Go back to it later with fresh eyes, and don’t be afraid to make further changes if you decide they’re necessary – every image needs some level of retouching…

Save the image as a layered file so you have a backup, then flatten and tweak Brightness and Contrast as desired. Once that’s done duplicate the layer, Sharpen and experiment with opacity to soften the effect. Then resize the image to its final dimensions if you didn’t do so earlier.

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